A Facebook business page is a free public profile you can create for your local business, brand or product. Similar to your personal Facebook account, you can use the Page to promote your business or products by posting status updates, links, event announcements, comments or photos and videos.

On your Facebook page, click the drop down arrow at the top right. Next, click Create a Page. Select the type of page that fits your small business -- either Local Business/Place or Brand/Product. Fill out all empty fields like contact information, address, category and business name. Finally, click Get Started.

If you're not artistically-minded, you can hire a graphic designer to help you create a professional Facebook business page.

Now, let's look at how to create a Facebook business page in detail.

Creating a Facebook Business Page

Creating your business page on Facebook is free and easy to do. Here are the six steps to creating a business Facebook page.

Step 1: Create a Page on Facebook

Login to your personal Facebook account. You will be able to create a new Facebook business page directly from your profile. To create your page, start by clicking the drop down arrow at the top right hand corner of your Facebook page. From the drop down, click "Create Page."

Choose "Create Page" from the drop down arrow located at the upper right corner of your Facebook page.

You will next be taken to a different window where you can choose a category that best fits your business. You can choose from the following categories:

Local business or place

Company, organization or institution

Brand or product

Artist, band or public figure

Entertainment

Cause or community

If you are a local business with a physical location, you will want to choose "Local Business or Place."

Create a page for a local business.

Step 2: Enter your business information

To complete setup of your page, you will need to provide basic information about your business, including:

Page category: You will be able to choose from a number of categories, so choose one that best represents your business

Address: On three separate text boxes, provide the street address, city/state and zip code of your physical location. Be as accurate as possible as this will help customers find your business much easier.

Phone number: Include your phone number so people can call your store directly from your Facebook page.

Facebook now requires local business or place to provide all the information above before allowing you to create a page. You won't be able to move on to the next step without the information above, so have it handy when creating your Facebook business page.

Basic business information required to set up your Facebook business page.

Step 3: Upload your profile picture and cover photo

Choose a profile picture that will draw people to your page. One idea is to use a picture of your product, whether that be a delicious looking menu item (restaurant), a gorgeous hair shot (beauty salon) or a nice looking smile (dentist). You can also use your logo or other images customers associate with your business such your street sign or storefront.

Similarly, you want your cover photo to be visually appealing and representative of your business. Your cover photo should be 828 pixels by 315 pixels. If you are having trouble finding a cover image, you can create one for free using Canva.

The three things to keep in mind when choosing your Facebook pictures are:

You can choose photos you already have from your website or hire professional photographers. You can find professional photographers for as little as $5 on websites like Fiverr.

Use a high resolution profile picture when creating your Business Facebook page.

Once you upload your profile and cover photos, the initial setup is done, and you will be taken to your new Facebook business page. We recommend following the steps below to fully complete the setup of your new Facebook page.

Step 4: Invite friends to "Like" your page

On the first screen after uploading your cover photo, you will receive a prompt to invite your friends. Invite as many of your friends as you can to increase your page following.

Get the first few followers on your Facebook business page by inviting friends from your personal account.

Step 5: Add additional business details

On the middle part of your new Facebook page, you will receive a welcome banner with tips on improving your page. Click the "See All Page Tips," and take the time to provide as much information as you can. We recommend adding the following details to your new Facebook business page:

Short description: Provide a brief description of your business (e.g. NYC beauty salon specializing in haircuts, styles, and updos)

Business hours: Include your store hours so people know when you're open

Username: This will appear at the end of Facebook's URL (facebook.com/mynewbusiness). Pick an easy username to help people find your page

Your website link: Add your website URL so people can visit your site directly from Facebook

Create a group: Create a space where your customers can connect with each other and discuss your products or services.

Complete your Facebook Business page profile.

Step 6: Add a button to your Page

Once you add all the important details to your Facebook page, click the blue "+Add a Button" option on the upper right hand corner of your page. This feature will let your customers perform a specific action quickly and directly from your page, including:

Book services: Let customers avail a service or start an order

Get in touch: Let customers contact you on the page via phone, a custom form, direct message, etc.

Learn more: Provide customers with more information about your business through a short video or link to your company's about page

Make a purchase or donation: This can be used to link directly to a product page on your website where customers can purchase products.

Download app or game: Let customers download your app or play games

Add a button that will make a direct impact on your sales or business. For example, if you own a restaurant, you can use the "Book Services" button to allow customers to make a reservation. You can also link this button to a specific page on your website to drive traffic to your site.

Different types of buttons to use on your business Facebook page.

If you follow the steps above, your business page on Facebook should now be ready! Note that you can easily customize your page should the need arises. For example, you can easily change the page button from making a reservation on your website to learning about a new product through a video. No matter your marketing goals, you will always have full control of the content in your business Facebook page.

What to do with your Facebook Business Page

Now that you have created your business Facebook page, make sure that you manage it and constantly engage with your followers. Here are a few things that you should do to get the most out of your page.

Bring traffic to your website and store

People that are interested in your business Facebook page can easily link to your site or find your store from the information on your page. Having a Facebook page for your business only helps more people locate you when looking for your type of business on Google.

There are many factors to consider when creating your business Facebook page, and successful marketing should certainly be a top priority. Companies such as Hibu can provide personalized service to maximize the results from your page; they're an official Facebook Marketing Partner, a designation only earned by tried and true companies that meet Facebook's highest standards.

Advertise on Facebook

Once you create a Facebook business page, you're all set to advertise on Facebook. Facebook advertising is appealing because you can target an extremely specific audience. Your ads are shown to precisely the people you need to reach - not just some vague demographic. We have a three-step strategy for advertising your small business on Facebook that you should read about now that your page is set up.

Get listed in Google's organic results

Ranking on the first page of Google can be difficult for small business websites. The good news is that having your business listed on Facebook (and other online directories like Yelp and Google My Business) increases your chance of your business having a spot on the first page. To learn more read our full guide on how to rank on Google.

Market your business online for free

If done right, you can also see results from your Facebook page without having to pay a dime. You can do this by sharing content like videos, blog posts, and images that will garner your audience's attention. We have an article on how to get free Facebook likes that will teach you what types of posts will get you more fans. If you own a seasonal shop like a food truck or pop-up shop, and you don't have a separate business website, you can also use your Facebook page as your main online presence.

Connect with your customers

When people like your page, you can tell them what's new with your business, share interesting articles you think they would enjoy, and respond to their posts on your page. Remember to regularly respond to comments and questions from your followers and build a relationship with them. This is a great platform for a local business that relies on local patrons to keep their business booming.

Bottom line on Facebook Business Page

A Facebook Page for your business is a powerful way to connect with your customers and reach new ones. It is free to create and a very easy to setup. Once you complete the steps in this guide, your Facebook business should be ready to start bringing more business in.

(By Alfredo Kanapi)

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